George Mason University Law Professor Adam Mossoff had a hard time understanding why in the past year he began to notice a constant police presence in front of the law school offices where he teaches in Virginia. But on Thursday, after learning about the Egyptian student who planned an attack on the Israeli consulate in New York, it became much clearer. "Suddenly I understand why this had to be done," he said.
Mossoff said that the school administration deployed the police to protect him and another Jewish professor. "It is shameful that George Mason fostered an environment where such a step became necessary for its professors," he said.
Mosoff is one of the most prominent pro-Israel voices on campus since October 7, 2023; He says he and his Jewish colleague are not the only ones in need of security these days. The Jewish community in the area has expressed concerns to the administration of the university near Washington, D.C. about the climate on campus and the safety of its Jewish students. The administration promised to “engage in a dialogue about the deep concerns the community has and to take the recent events seriously.”
And, indeed, there appears to be no peace at the largest public university in the state of Virginia, named after one of the founding fathers of the United States, which boasts of several graduates who are senior figures in the U.S. government and law. Last week, it emerged that one of its 40,000 students, Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, 18, was arrested on suspicion of planning a mass casualty attack on the Israeli consulate building in New York.
Inspiration from Bin Laden and support for Al-Qaida and ISIS
According to the indictment documents, Hassan was exposed after he gave an undercover agent detailed instructions on how to build a bomb and plant it, and gave him a detailed explanation for purchasing weapons, and tips for fleeing the United States after the attack.
Hassan, an Egyptian-born first-year information technology student at the university, was already facing deportation after being flagged by the FBI for his previous statements supporting al-Qaida and ISIS. Perhaps feeling he had nothing to lose, he devoted his final days in the country to plotting an attack on what he described as “the gold mine of all targets” and “a symbol of Judaism in the world.”
The investigation began in May when the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia received an anonymous tip about an X account that "encourages terrorism and supports ISIS." The account, run by Hassan, included posts praising terrorist operatives and expressing support for acts of violence against Jews and Americans. One post even described Osama bin Laden as a "role model," and noted that "the fight against the enemies of Islam will continue forever."
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Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, 18, was arrested on suspicion of planning a mass casualty attack on the Israeli consulate building
(Photo: Alexandria, Virginia Sheriff's Office)
The FBI recruited an undercover informant who contacted Hassan through X, and the two began talking for several months, during which Hassan revealed his intentions. Hassan even wrote the informant a script for a video called "Martyr," which he planned to film before the attack. The message included threats against Western countries and a declaration of "Allah's vengeance."
Court documents revealed that Hassan instructed the informant on how to build a Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) explosive device, one of the most potent and commonly used by terrorist organizations. He also shared links for purchasing assault rifles and ammunition, recommending a Zastava rifle, which he called "an ideal weapon for an attack."
Hassan also emphasized the importance of filming the event live and sharing it on social media as part of a "global terror campaign." He advised the informant on how to escape the United States after the attack, suggesting he fly to ISIS-controlled areas in Africa, and pointing out places that do not have extradition agreements with the United States. "If you plan properly, you can evade the authorities and find safe haven," he said.
Calls for a 'student intifada' and 'pro-terrorist' materials
This incident, which shook the campus, joins another incident from last month, in which Virginia police and the FBI raided the home of two sisters and students at the university — one the co-president of the university's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, and the other a past president.
The two were suspected of leading a group of activists who sprayed inflammatory and antisemitic graffiti on campus in August, causing thousands of dollars in damage, and declaring a "student intifada." During the raid, rifles, ammunition, foreign passports, and "pro-terrorist" materials were found in the family's home, including Hamas and Hezbollah flags and signs reading "Death to the Jews" and "Death to America." After the raid, the university administration decided to suspend the chapter's activities, and the sisters were banned from campus for the next four years.
A university spokesman denied that there was a connection between the two cases, but confirmed that security on campus had indeed recently been increased, including the establishment of a special alert team to assess threats. The institution avoided any mention of the Islamist leanings of the suspect. The university's president, Gregory Washington, wrote to the campus community on Thursday in an attempt to calm the situation.
Washington said that “enhanced precautions to maintain a safe and secure university community” were implemented at the beginning of the semester, some of them covert. He declined to elaborate further, but said that “these capabilities, along with additional measures create a protective wall around our university campus with capabilities not always available to universities in other locations not close to the capital.” Washington promised that “as criminal proceedings progress,” against the students suspected of the acts, “the university will take appropriate action regarding violations of the student code of conduct.”
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Lawmakers, however, were less encouraging. Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin said the foiled terrorist attack is “a wake-up call that antisemitism and the threat to Jewish students and the Jewish community in Virginia and across America are very real.” Democratic Senator Mark Warner said “this horrific incident underscores the fear felt by many in the Jewish community as antisemitism continues to rise across the country and around the world.”
Local Democratic and Republican lawmakers, such as Senator Tim Kaine and Representative Eugene Vindman, also made similar statements, demanding that law enforcement investigate the incident, including any influence by foreign entities on students on campus.
"This is the full responsibility of the university's president, Gregory Washington," said Mossoff. He added: "As a faculty member at the university, I watched the institution fail for over a year to take any action, while pro-Hamas students through the SJP branch engaged in harassment and vandalism, and committing these crimes while illegally wearing masks, and without any consequences."
"Many Jewish and non-Jewish faculty members, including myself, sent him letters and emails, first pleading, then demanding action to address this worsening problem. No action was taken," he added. "As I have been saying for over a year: If you have ever wondered what you would have done in Berlin in 1938, you are doing it now."